Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, 5779, starts at sundown tonight, Sept. 9. It begins the Ten Days of Repentance, when God and each of us Jews evaluate our deeds of the past year.

The tenth day is Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Atoning requires that we remember things that are unpleasant to remember. Ideally, we are not to exemplify the following vignette:

Parent: Because you didn’t tell me the truth about how long you were up playing video games last night, I don’t trust what you’re saying now. Child: That was yesterday, Mom.

During these 10 days, by remembering a year of yesterdays, we acknowledge that there is continuity between yesterday and today; what we do has its aftereffects. By remembering what we did, we can take responsibility for it. It is unlikely we will correct things for which we deny responsibility.

Perhaps the most natural and effective antidepressant after doing something wrong that we feel bad about is to rush to do something we can feel good about, e.g., we can repent as soon as possible.

Though we don’t wait until Yom Kippur to repent, we particularly review and focus on repenting during the 10-day period culminating in Yom Kippur.

Drawing on help from God, we repent by: 1) Admitting 2) Apologizing to the person we harmed 3) Doing what’s possible to repair the damage 4) Thinking about how we got ourself to do what we did so we can be less likely to do it in the future.

Sounds like hard work, and it is. Yet, why does this sobering time often lead to happiness, both on Rosh Hashanah and on Yom Kippur?

On Rosh Hashanah, one reason is the joy of coming together as a community, many of whose members may not have seen each other for a year.

Another is that we are reminded that we are not alone in this venture of individual self-examination. There is excitement in thinking that, as individuals and as a community, we will be better for our efforts and will therefore be more likely to help make the world a better place.

Our joy at the end of Yom Kippur is not just because we get to eat after 24 hours of abstaining from food and drink. There’s an individual and communal feeling that we did something that was not easy, that mattered, and that pleases God. We are inspired to do better going forward.

With regard to going forward, only minutes after Yom Kippur ends, our ability to be patient with our fellow hungry human beings will be tested in the food line. Is this a coincidental irony, or is a loving God up to some meaningful mischief with us?!

May we all have a good New Year.

Deane Shore Berson has lived in the Pikes Peak area since 1974. His email: deaneberson@gmail.com.